Shore Break wins Best Documentary award in Paris

South African movie The Shore Break scooped the Best Full-Length Documentary Prize at the 2015 International Environmental Film Festival (FIFE) in Paris.

Directed by Ryley Grunenwald and co-produced by Grunenwald and Odette Geldenhuys, The Shore Break was named winner of the prize during the festival's closing ceremony on Tuesday, 10 February.

The film documents the story of two cousins from a close-knit rural community who have conflicting plans for the development of their homeland on South Africa's Wild Coast.

It was made with support from the Gauteng Film Commission, the Department of Trade and Industry and other partners.

The FIFE jury called it "a firm favourite - an exceptional film" that "deeply moved" them. They said they were struck by the Amadiba Area community's strength and dignity in their battle for their land and way of life, as well as the complexity around what kind of development they wished to see.

One juror commented that The Shore Break played out like a thriller, while another appreciated the way the cinematography captured the spectacular coastal landscapes of the Eastern Cape.